Wet wipes are constructed from porous or absorbent sheets impregnated with a lotion and they are sold and stored in an air-tight container or wrapper to prevent the sheets drying out. Wet wipes are made for a variety of uses. The two main categories of use are firstly, those for general household cleaning tasks, such as the cleaning of hard surfaces like floors or kitchen surfaces and secondly those made for personal cleansing, such as the removal of make up, or the cleaning of infants prior to the fitting of a new diaper or the simple refreshment of the skin after meals or while traveling. Wipes have also found use with feminine health and adult incontinence products.
A major proportion of the wipes intended for the cleansing of human skin are wet wipes which are designed for the use with infants and young children. They are particularly used by parents during the changing of babies to clear away any excess fecal or urine residues in the peri-anal region before applying a fresh diaper or nappy. Wet wipes are required to be effective cleaning agents while at the same time being very gentle and mild on the skin of the baby. This is especially important given that the skin of the baby around the genitals and anus can become very sensitive after extended contact with urine and fecal matter.
The dual aim of providing effective cleaning while at the same time being mild on the skin is usually a balancing act for the manufactures of wet wipes. This is because the chemical compounds required for effective cleaning and preservation of the wet wipe are often those that are the least mild on human skin.
For regulatory approval for wet wipe products there are strict limits to the growth of microbes within the lotion/substrate media that are allowed. To reach these standards all wipe products to date have required some degree of preservation, from known preservative compounds.
It would be desirable to develop a mild wet wipe that has antimicrobial activity and providing an alternative to known preservative compounds.